A. Field of Invention
This invention relates to the art of vehicular body repair, specifically to a guide useful in the repair process and reinforcement of damaged panels.
B. Description of the Prior Art
The most proficient and most commonly practiced technique of repairing body panels on a motor vehicle is implemented by using a device or tool to provide uniform straightness and accuracy of the vehicular body panels. The tool used is normally a straight-edged object which is placed up against the vehicle""s body, thereby guiding the repair person in obtaining straightness and quality throughout the repair. An example would be a long ruler or a two by four inch wood building stud, the length varying, depending on the size of the repair.
The major disadvantages of using such an object is that it is time-consuming and inefficient in its operation. Moreover, the use of a straight edge is ultimately successful only if the repair person relies on his skill, experience and judgement in reforming the damaged area to meet the proper profiles in matching the surrounding undamaged area of the vehicle. Moreover, the straight edge is difficult to use because it is not self-affixed and it is not a constant visual or physical guide, and therefore does provide an immediate indicator in the process of adding or removing excess filler material. Furthermore, use of a straight edge causes wasted time, energy and material, because any slight irregular bend or curve in the straight edge will cause inaccurate straightness in the repair.
Improper placement or inconsistent placements of the straight edge up against the body panel(s) will cause improper or inconsistent readings throughout the job, thereby greatly reducing work efficiency and overall quality.
A further disadvantage of the straight edge is that it requires the use of a pencil or other marking instrument that is used to indicate high or low areas on a panel being repaired. When followed by the filling, filing and sanding stages, these high and or low indication marks must be removed or covered over, forcing the repair person to repeatedly replace and carefully reposition the straight edge against the panel to re-check and re-mark the areas repeated times during the repair process.
A further disadvantage of a straight edge is that, when attempting to repair a sharp longitudinal body line or tight indentation in the automotive body panel, the bulk of a straight edge itself may not allow it to fit within the contour of such a body curvature.
Finally, after use, the straight edge is removed so that it does not provide any additional strength to the repaired panel. The straight edge is large and bulky making it difficult for one person to use it effectively. The length of a straight edge is not adjustable, therefore one particular straight edge cannot be used for all jobs.
An important objective is to provide a new tool for repairing vehicular body panels which is easier to use than the prior art straight edge.
A further objective is to provide a tool which is relatively easy, compact and expensive to make.
Yet another objective is to provide a tool which is easy to use and hence requires minium training.
A further objective is to provide a tool which includes a disposable elongated filament left in the panel to provide reinforcement. Other objectives and advantages of the invention shall become apparent from the following description.
Briefly a tool for vehicular body panel repair comprises a filament having a first and a second end; mounting means for mounting said first end to a panel; and tensioning means attached to said second end for tensioning said filament after said filament has been attached on said panel to establish a straight reference line.
This arrangement provides several important advantages as descried below.
The tool adds strength and support to the repaired body by leaving a filament which may be made of a steel wire embedded in the filler material in the same way that steel reinforcement rods reinforce cement. This added reinforced strength to the filler material is most important and needed at the vulnerable edge of a body line contour. This outside comer is by far the area most subjected to potential damage during impacts, causing the filler to crack and even separate and fall off from the underlying substrate.
The wire acts as a support or net in retaining the paste-like body filler from sagging off of a side panel while in the filler application stage. The constant visual and physical guidance this tool provides assists the novice as well as the experienced professional in achieving increased speed, accuracy, and overall quality in performing body repair.
This tool can be used to repair one or more body panels at a time by simply adjusting the length of its filament from a few inches to the entire length of the vehicle, if necessary. This tool will help in the alignment and adjustment of panels as well as the precise reforming and rebuilding of individual or connecting panels.
The tool can be used in accurately guiding the alignment and installation of a pin striping tape and side body moldings. The tool can be used on small or large repairs because of its full adjustability.
The tool being accurate and precise gives a true reading every time it is used. This tool can be used as a guide in auto body repair, fiberglass boat repair, or as a guide in the construction and repair of composite aircraft bodies.
The tool attaches and detaches quickly and easily to nearly every panel on most vehicles. It is compact, yet strong and durable enough to withstand most abuse of hammering, filing, sanding, and the other stages of panel repair.
The tool can be used to easily repair a flat surface, gentle curvature or sharp body line contour in a panel without any deviation or uncertainty. This tool eliminates most of the skill needed by the repair person when reshaping and sculpturing intricate body contours and large areas to be repaired. This is accomplished by pulling the concave area of the dent up to the proximity of the taut filament(s). Once the metal is pulled up to the filament(s), the metal is prepared for the filling stage. Body filler is now applied over the prepared metal and the filament(s) in a motion running parallel with the filament(s). These taut filaments are located in the exact position that the pre-damaged panel was in. Now, it is simply needed to fill only the remaining concave irregularities of the dented surface. This is accomplished by filling to just over the level of the filament""s true and straight position. As the body filler is being applied, the filament(s) add support as they help keep the filler in place preventing it from sagging. This allows for a heavier filling application thereby greatly reducing the overall time of the repair by reducing the total number of repeated applications.
While the filler is hardening, a standard body file is used to file any remaining high areas of body filler that covers over the level of the filament(s) up to the point of visually sighting the embedded filaments(s).
After the final application of body filler has been filed, the area of hardened filler can now be sanded by hand or by using a power sander, depending on the size of the repair. Here the filament(s) prevent possible over- or undersanding. Sanding is then completed when the full length of filament(s) are just barely exposed in the surface of the filler, leaving uniformity and flatness throughout the repaired surface.
The filament(s) can now be removed by simply loosening the thumb screw thereby relieving the tension that keeps the filament taut thereby holding the tool tightly onto the panel. The filament(s) can be pulled out of the surface of the filler.
The repair is finalized by a brief surface sanding to remove the faint impression left by the thin filament(s) in the filler. One or more filaments could be left embedded in the filler. This would reinforce high risk areas from future damage. An example being the vulnerable edge of a curvature.